Hurdle.



W.- S. *TOTHI'LL HUBDLB.-

`APPLIOATION FILED NOV.`23, 1908.

v Patented Nov.f1, 1910.

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WILLIAM S. TOTI-IILL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

HURDLE.

Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 1, 1910.

Application iled November 23, 1908. Serial No. 464,133.

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. TorHrLL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Hurdles, 'of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings.

This invention relates to hurdles, and has for its object to provide anew and improved construction of hurdle which shall be readily andeasily adjusted to any desired height and which shall reduce materiallythe danger incident to their use.

In order that a hurdle may be used with a moderate degree of safety, itshould be arranged so that the cross bar may be easily displaced, and itis one of the principal objects of my invention to provide for thisfeature at the same time insuring the cross bar being held in positionstrongly enough that it shall not be displaced by a slight jar or by agust of wind.

Another object of my invention is to provide a construction in which thecross bar, if displaced by any means, shall automatically return toposition.

One of the principal dangers in the use of hurdles has been due to thepresence in the hurdle of two or more parallel cross hars a shortdistance apart, the runner being liable at the slightest slip to becomeentangled in the hurdle with consequent more or less serious injury.

It is one of the objects of my invention to provide an adjustable hurdlehaving only one cross bar, thus doing away with this danger.

Hurdles for adult athletes have been ordinarily arranged to be adjustedfor use at either of two heights only, one or both of which heights havebeen too great to accommodate younger athletes.

It is one of the objects of my invention to provide a hurdle which maybe adjusted to any appropriate height according to the strength andagility of the runner.

Another object is `to improve generally the construction of hurdles invarious details hereinafter point-ed out. Y

I accomplish these objects by the means illust-rated in the drawings.

Y That which I believe to be new will be pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings z-Figure 1 is a side view of my improvedhurdle,

showing also in dotted lines the cross bar in one of its adjustedpositions. Fig. 2 is an end view of my hurdle. Fig. 3 is an enlargeddetail, showing the means for locking the cross bar member in positionat the top of the standards. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail, showing themeans for locking the cross bar member in one of its adjusted po*sitions.

Referring to the several figures of the drawings7 in which correspondingparts are indicated by like reference characters, 10 indicates a baseframe from which rise standards 11 and 12 which are firmly braced in anysuitable manner.

13 indicates a cross bar, rigidly secured in any suitable manner betweentwo arms 14 and 15, these three parts, in the construction shown,forming what is herein termed the cross bar member of the hurdle. Thiscross bar member is to be supported so as to swing easily as hereinafterdescribed or in any other suitable manner, the end of each of the arms14-15, in the construction shown, being provided with weights 16suitably attached thereto for the purpose of holding the arms 14-15normally upright with the cross bar 13 at their upper ends.

Rigidly secured in any suitable manner to the arms 14-15 in registerwith each other a short distance below the cross bar 13 are two pivotpins 17, one of which is adapted to be inserted in any one of the holes18, 19 or 20 in one of the standards 11-12, such holes being indicatedby dotted lines in Fig. 1, the other of which pivot pins is held in theone of the holes 21, 22 or 23 in the other of the standards 11-12 thatis in register with the hole 18, 19 or 20 occupied by the opposite pivotpin. In order to enable this cross bar member to be adjusted from one toanother of the pairsl of holes 18-21 19-22, and 20-23, I have made theholes 21, 22 and 23 in the form of notches, opening from the exterior ofthe standard, the notch 21 opening from the top and the other twonotches opening from the side.

In the construction shown, the pivot pin 17 is held in its notch 21, 22or 23 by means ofa locking strip 24. As shown in Figs.

V1 and 2, this strip is provided with longitudinal slots 25, which slotsengage the pins 26 carried by the standard 11, the'strip being thusslidable up and down on such pins', upon the outer end of one or more ofwhich is screw-threaded a thumb-nut 27 by means of which the strip 24may be secured in any desired adjusted position. VThe strip 24 isnotched opposite the notches 21-22-23 of the standard 11, so that whensaid strip 24 is in its raised position the notches in the stripcorrespond with the notches 21 2 2-23 in the standard, but when thestrip 24 is slid down as described, the laterallyprojecting tongue 2S ofthe upper notch, and the downwardly projecting tongues 29 of the lowernotches close the outer ends of such notches 21-*22-23, respectively.

4It will be readily understood from the foregoing that, with the deviceassembled as in Fig. 1, the thumb-nuts 27 may be loose'ned, the strip 24raised, and the pivot pin, 17 that rests in the notch 21 lifted out ofengagement therewith, the slight amount of play of the pivot pin 17 onthe opposite end ofthe cross bar member in its bearing 18 permitting thecross bar member to be turned out of its proper alinement so as to befreed of the standard 11, when the cross bar member may be moved as awhole so as to free such pivot pin of the bearing 18. The pivot pin 17on the arm 15 may be then inserted in any one of the holes 18-19-20, theother vpivot pin inserted in the corresponding notch 21-22-23, and thestrip 24 pushed down and again locked in position by the tightening ofthe thumb-nuts.

In order to facilitate the manipulation of the strip 24, I have providedat its lower end a handle 30, which in the construction shown is intera'l with the strip.

It wi lthus be seen that I have provided a hurdle the cross bar of whichmay be` easily and quickly adjusted to any predetermined desired height,the number of adjustments being limited only by the number of bearingsprovided for the pivot pins.

While I 'have described the cross bar member as being held yieldingly inan upright position by 'means of appropriately weighting the ends of thearms 14-15, it will be understood Vthat I do not wish to be restrict ed'to the exact construction shown in which separate weights are attachedvto the arms and i-n which each arm is weighted, nor do I wish torestrict myself except las hereinafter claimed to the use of weights atall for accomplishing this purpose, as `any suitable 'yielding meansmaybe employed. Indeed, so far as I amaware, I am'the first in the artto prov-ide a hurdle having only a single cross bar above the base, thatcross bar being adapted to swing when stru-ck, and 4the claims are to beconstrued accordingly. In

the drawing lI have shown thecross bar as constructed o'fa single pieceof material, but 'it lis obvious that the cross bar may be made up of aplurality of strips placeda short distance apart andbe in effect asingle cross bar. In the specication and claims therefore the termsingle cross bar applies to a cross bar whether constructed of one ormore pieces of material which presents a practically continuous surfacewhereby a runner is not liable to catch his toe in any opening betweenthe edges of the cross bar.

While I have described the pivot pins 17 as being secured to the arms14-15 a short distance below the cross bar 13, it will be understoodthat this was done merely for convenience of description, and that, incase the cross bar lshould `be made wider than shown in order to prevent-a runners catching his toe under such cross bar, the position of thepivot .',lpins 17 would not on that account require change but might besecured to the arms even between the edges of the cross bar or even besecured to the cross bar itself,

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentis 1. In a hurdle, the combination with a standard, and a single crossbar connected therewith and adapted to swing relatively thereto, ofmeans `adapted to hold said cross bar yieldingly in position and toreturn the same to position when displaced.

2.l In a hurdle, the combination of a i standard, and a single cross barmember pivotally mounted thereon and adapted to swing along an axisabove the center' of gravity of said cross bar member.

3. In a hurdle, the combination with a standard, and a single cross barconnected therewith and adapted to swing rela-tively thereto, of aweight connected with said cross bar and adapted to Vhold it yieldinglyin position.

4. In a hurdle, the combination of a pair of standards and a cross barmember comprising a single cross-bar pivotally mount ed between them onan axis intermediate `the top and `bottom of said cross bar member, theportion of said cross bar member on one side of .said axis being heavierthan the portion on the other side whereby the cross bar is heldyieldingly in position.

5. In a hurdle, the combination of la vpair of standards, a cross barmember,*com

Yprising `two arms and a single cross bar rigidly connected Vto each ofsaid arms, vpivotally mounted between said standards on an axisintermediate the ends of said arms, and a Lweight on the free end of oneof -said arms adapted to hold said cross bar member yieldingly linposition with the cross bar uppermost.

G. 'In a hurdle, the combination with a base, and a `pair of standardsrising therefrom, of a cross bar member provided vwith '1 5 but onecross bar pivotally mountedon and ,7. In a hurdle, the combination of a4pair of standards provided with a plurality of bearings arranged atdifferent heights or levels thereon, a cross bar member provided withbut one cross bar and having means to pivotally engage the severalbearings of the standards and adapted to swing freely between saidstandards, and means adapted to hold said cross bar yieldingly inposition.

8. In a hurdle, the combination with a cross bar member, comprising asingle cross bar, and projecting pivot pins mounted on said cross barmember below the upper edge of the cross bar and on a line above thecenter of gravity of the cross bar member, of a pair of standards, oneof said standards being provided with a plurality of holes for thereception of one of, said pivot pins, and the other of said standardsbeing provided with correspondingly positioned notches to receive theother of said pivot pins, and means for holding said lastnamed pivotpins in either of said notches.

9. In a hurdle, the combination with a cross bar member, comprising asingle cross bar, and projecting pivot pins mounted on said cross barmember below the upper edge of the cross bar and on a line above thecenter of gravity of the cross bar member, and a pair of standards, oneof said standards being provided with a plurality of holes for thereception of one of said pivot pins, and the other of said standardsbeing provided with correspondingly positioned notches to receive theother of said pivot pins, of a locking strip slidably mounted on saidlastnamed standard, said locking strip being also provided with notchesadapted to receive said last-named pivot pin when said locking strip isin its raised position, said notches being adapted to permit saidlocking strip to be slid downward while said pivot pin is in position ineither one of said notches, tongues on said locking strip adapted toprevent the withdrawal of said pivot pin when said locking strip is inits lowered position, and means for clamping said locking strip in itsadjusted positions.

l0. In a hurdle, the combination with a base and a pair of standardsrising there from, of a pair of arms, a trunnion on each arm, a singlecross-bar secured between said arms, bearings in said standards for saidtrunnions upon which the cross-bar is adapted to swing freely, and meansadapted to hold said cross-bar yieldingly in position between saidstandards and to return said cross-bar to normal position wheneverdisplaced.

ll. In a hurdle the combination with a standard, and a cross bar memberconnected therewith and adapted to swing relatively thereto, said crossbar member presenting a practically continuous surface from one edge tothe other, of means tending to hold said cross bar member in position'.

l.. In a hurdle, the combination with a standard, and a cross bar memberpivotally connected therewith and adapted to swing forward at its topwhen struck, said cross bar member being free of openings between itsupper and lower edges in which a runner might catch his foot, and meanstending to hold said cross'bar member in vertical position.

I/VILLIAM S. TOTHILL.

Witnesses:

ALBERT I-I. ADAMS, IV. H. DE BrisK.

